1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to installation of a device driver, such as a printer driver.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, printers have been widespread in offices of companies, allowing anyone to easily perform printing. To allow a PC (personal computer) as an information processing apparatus to cause a printer to perform printing, a printer driver for generating a print data and controlling the printer is required to be installed in the PC.
In general, a printer driver is prepared for each of operating systems (OS) of the PCs and printers for printing, and provided via storing media, such as CD-ROM and FD, which are packed together with the printers.
An administrator typically acquires the latest printer driver through a public network from a website maintained by a printer manufacturer.
Furthermore, operations are performed where the administrator arranges the acquired printer driver and setting information used for installation in a storage device shared on a network, and announces the arranged location to general users to thereby allow the users to use the printer. Each general user installs the printer driver on a PC according to information acquired from the arranged location based on the announcement.
In the case of installing printers in an office, the printers to be used are typically different among users. It is difficult for the administrator and the general users to install the printer drivers and to set ports, which are destinations of print jobs, with no error.
A high-value-added printing system can be constructed by adding, to PCs, pieces of software related to the printing system (hereinafter, collectively called related software).
In some types of related software, a server setting is required to be reflected when a print environment of a client PC operated by a general user is constructed.
In the case of installing plural pieces of related software, the software should be installed in an appropriate order. Thus, setting is further complicated.
The environment of the client PC is typically constructed by a general user. It is difficult for the general user to install the printer driver and the related software and to perform setting with no error.
Conventionally, as a method of installing a printer driver, a technique has been proposed that acquires the printer driver from a server based on system information of a client and information specific to a printer, and transmits the driver and installation information to the client (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-086969).
According to the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-086969, an information table is held in the server, the printer automatically searches for and acquires the printer driver and related software that match with criteria, based on the system information of the client and the information specific to the printer. The printer causes the client to download the acquired printer driver and related software, printer driver information, and information on the related software, thereby allowing automatic installation.
However, some pieces of related software should be installed in a proper order. For instance, a port monitor is required to be installed before the printer driver is installed.
The method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-086969 cannot control the order for installing the plural pieces of related software.
Furthermore, some pieces of related software function in cooperation with a server. On such pieces of related software, server setting, such as the IP address of the server used for installation, is required. According to the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-086969, arbitrary setting cannot be configured when installation is performed.
The above problems pertaining to installation of device drivers, such as conventional printer drivers, exist.